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Could the reMarkable tablet be the last E-reader you ever needed?

Recently a Norway company announced their new e-reader “reMarkable paper tablet”. It is pretty much the most promising e-reader to replace paper I have seem so far.

According to the product description:

Iit has a 10.3 inch with no glass parts, which means you can get close to letter size display and writing area.

It will also have paper-like surface friction. Yes! The friction part is also one of the important aspect in our writing experience).

The pen has 2048 level of pressure sensitivity. It is important for drawing.

WiFi connection. It means we can share the content easily.

8 GB internal storage. It is a little bit too small in today’s standard, especially when you want to put more personal document in the device.

Support PDF and ePub format initially

Also according to the FAQ page as of today, the initial version will not support the following function:

Not support 3rd party storage like Dropbox, Google Drive

Can not connect to computer as a drawing board

Does not integrated with 3rd party productivity tool like Evernote, OneNote, etc.

No handwriting recognition.

For full disclosure, features not supported was phrased in the FAQ as “Let’s just say the future of the reMarkable is bright and filled with many exciting possibilities. That being said, we never promise anything more than what we feature on our web pages and under product specifications.” So my interpretation is “Not supported”.

From the list above, it is clear that they are currently focus on the main function of content read/write. It is OK and understandable. But certainly adding the not supported 3rd party functions will make it much easier switch for users that are spoiled with the functionalities. Especially given high current price tag ($379 for pre-order special, full price listed as $716). To be fair, the price is not high compared with the current competitors. Sony digital paper DPTS1 (13.3 inch with 4GB) is sold for $799. But as a consumer, I really like it to get to sub-300 level.

The reMarkable is expected to start shipping from Aug. 2017. Best wish they could deliver their promise. I still vividly remember the disappointment a few years back with the Plastic Logic Que, hope it doesn’t happen again. This really could be the last e-reader you ever need.